Signaling system for electric railways.



LD. HUGHES & T. H.. Hmmm. SIGIALING SYSTBMjPOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

-APPLIQATIOH FILED JULYJ'I, 1912'.

. Patented MayZ, 1914.

ARTHUR D. HUGHES ANDTHOMAS H. HER'IZOG, OF WASHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

srGNALINe ,SYSTEM ron nrncrmc' RArLwAYs.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patenten May 2e, 1914..

Application mea July 17, 1912. serial No. 709,894.

I To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that we, ARTHUR D. Huertas and THOMAS H. Hnn'rzoo, citizens of the United States, residing at Washington, in the county of Washingtonand State of APennsylvania, have invented 'certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Systems for Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.v

Our invention relates to signaling systems for electricrailways employing overhead trolleys and particularly mechanism for throwing lights on. or oil' at the ends of the blocks by the passingof a trolley car.

To this end we provide a switch which. Imay light lamps or manipulate a semaphore, at the same time switching on' lamps which serve to block .the track in the rear of the Cal'.

Our invemion provides an arrangement of' apparatus which insures the relighting of the Asignal lamps following the renewal of power after it has been temporarily cut oli and mechanism which permits a car to back out of a block without disturbing the signals. These and other objects will appear from the following description, in connection' with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating our signaling system applied to two blocks of a trolley road; and Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are detail views of the detent mechanism for controlling the position of the switch.

In our system, each end of a block is provided with a switch mechanism having a trip-device adapted to be operated by engagement with the trolley wheel, so that the signals are automatically controlled by the passing of the trolley-car from one block section to the next. The switch mechanism comprises a base `or supporting-block 1, which may be attached to the insulator bracket from which the trolley wireis -suspended, or in any other desirable manner, so thatit is in a proper position with respect to the trolley. The block 1 vof wood or other suitable insulating material, carries pairs of contacts 3 and 4, upon opposite 'ends ,which are adapted to cooperate with spi-ing bridging-plates 8a and 4a, carried by the swinging switch-arm 6, pivoted at 7.

The arm 6 iseccentricall'y pivoted and is preferably weighted as at 8, so that the `arm will normally assume the position shown' at Switch-stations A and C, `with the righthand end beaming against-the stop 9 and the plate 32L bridging the contacts 3.

A swinging tripping-arm 10, pivoted at 11, to the switch-arm 6, and preferably made of resilient material, such as spring metal, is arranged to hang over the trolley-wire 12, in a position to be struck by the trolley wheel' 14. The arm 10 is permitted to swing through a limited arc, but is permitted to freely swing in the'opposite direction until it rests against the bottom of the arm 6. 'By reason of this arrangement the trolley wheel willlift the arm .6 into the position shown at station B, when traveling in the forward direction, thereby bringing the bridgingplate 4ainto engagement with the contacts 4 .and breaking the connection of the plate 3 withthe contacts 3.

Inorder that the lever arm (3 may be retained in the position shown at station B,

after the trolley has moved away, a spring catch arm 15 having a. hooked end 15a attachedto the lever arm, and normally bearing against the side of the block 1, is adapted to spring over the top of the block as,

shown at station B and vin-'thesectionalfiew vFig. 4. For the purpose of releasing the door or catch 15% and permitting the arm 6 to drop down with the normal position shown at stations and C, a releasing lever` 18, is pivoted at 19.0"1'1 top of the block 1, having one end adjacent the catch and having the other end connected to the core 20 of a solenoid magnet 22.' lWhen the solenoid is denergized the lever 18 will occupy the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4, permitting the catch to engage and remain upon the top of the block, but when the'solenoid is energized the core will swing the lever 18 into the position .indicated in Fig. 3, therebyv The electrical circuits by whichthe switch mechanism controls the signallamps are clearly indicated in Fig. 1. Each circuit eX- tends over two blocks and includes the distant signal lamps D' and rear switch con-- tacts 3 at one station, the forward switch contacts 4 and home signal lamps H, at the adjacent station and the switchreleasingdevice 22 at the next succeeding station. These circuits alternatev so that they overlap and form parallel circuits between the stations rlhe two bridging plates on the pivoted switch arm at each station cont-rol the circuits to the adjacent 'station alternately. The trolley-wheel having swung the switchvarm 6, at station B, thereby bringing the bridging-plate d into engagement with the contacts 4, the circuit will be closed from the power' feeder 25, through the distant signal lamps D, at station C, a block in advance, through thecontacts 3, and bridgingplate 3, conductor 26, contacts Lland bridging-plate 4a at station B, through the home signal lamps H, conductor `28, and solenoid 2Q at station A, to ground G. v,'llhe' switcharm will be maintained in the position shown at B, 'While the car is traversing theblocksection between stations B and C, and consequently the block will be guarded in the rear byv the-home signal lamps H at station Band in advance by the distant signal lam s'D at station C. ln case the powerv sh'cnild` elcut off While the canisj at an intermediate point between stations, the signals will be restored as soon as thecurrent is restored and the motorman on the car-may know positively that the Signal circuit is complete by observing the intermediate signal vlamp I. It is, of course, to be understood that each of the lamps may be induplicate and arranged so that 'the duplicate lamp will be lighted in case the regular lamp burns out or is broken and as this is a well-known arrangement it is unnecessary to illustrate it. The lamps which are lighted as shown conventionally in light lines While thosewhich are .out are shown in heavy lines.

trolley swings the -switch lever and Acloses the circuits through the signal lamps of the succeeding block section in the manner previ'ouslyv described, therebyvlenergizing thel .thus swung intoraised position by the trolley tlie circuit through thecontacts 3 wasv broken causing the lights guarding the blocksection between stations B and C to go out and thereby indicating to a motorinan at station B that the block ahead is .clear and his carmay proceed. it While a car is in block When the car reaches the station the C, a nuitcrnian should attempt to pass sta.- tioii B, he will. get .no signal through the signal .lights because the signal circuit is open at 23a at station C.

rlhe many advantages oit-our system of block signaling will be appreciated by signal engineers. The system is automatic in operation and the mechanism is exceedingly simple and not liable to get out of order. The contacts controlling the signal circuits are positively maintained while the car is 'traversing a block and are not dependent upon' the current lso that theywill not be disturbed by a loss of power-When it ,is restored.

lVe have described .in detail the particular arrangement of mechanism illustrated in the drawings for the purpose of disclosing an embodiment of our invention, but it is obvious that various changes may be made Ytherein Without departing from the spirit of our invention. Y The signaling circuits are Vshown as connected to the power feeder but Cil it is evident that they may be connected to the trolley Wire. l

An automatic block signaling system for electric railways operating trolley cars, coniprising home and distant signalplampsl at each station; a switch mechanism at each Astation having a pivoted member adapted to be swung in one direction by a passing trolley and in the otherdircction by gravity, a detent to lock Saidmember in the trolleyoperated position, and anelectro-magnetic releasing device Jfor said detent, signal circuitsl extending between the stations, each o-said circuits including the distant signal at.4 one station, the home signal at the adJacent station and said releasing device of the nextsucceeding station., said `pivoted member having bridging contacts upon each side of its pivot arranged to control alternately one or lthe othen of said' circuits between adjacent stations.

In testimony whereof We aiix our signa- .turesv in presence' of two witnesses.

ARTHUR' n. i-iuoiins. fri-reinas n. iinii'rzoo.

Nitnessesz WV. H. HUGHES, P. VAGNER. 

